Dec. 10, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

HO HO HO, 2007, from our family to yours. You may be surprised to receive this Christmas letter a year late. I’m doing it so as not to surprise two of my siblings, who with every opportunity vociferously announce that I don’t do anything on time. Actually, all three of my sibs feel that way, but at least one of them is kind enough to keep his mouth shut.

Well, I’ve got news for them. After having surgery in November, followed by another in December, I decided to take the year off and not send out anything for 2006. What a great vacation!

In reality, Linda offered to write the letter this year, due to my “condition” that not only hampered my physical strength, but also damaged my “truth bone” – which, as you know, is connected to my “tongue bone.” I consequently found myself incapable of saying any juicy thing about anyone. So Linda came to the rescue and offered to write the 2006 letter. She claims that she did so, and since she has never lied to me (a unilateral claim, I might add), I believe her.

Now I never read her letter, nor did I see it. But she did send me the file, which I admit had some memory on it. However, when I opened it up, there was only a blank screen. Somehow, as only her computer is capable of doing (it is not a very obedient piece of machinery), the file was saved as a template instead of a document. And after days of struggling to convert it back (actually it was only about a half hour), we decided it was a lost cause. It’s just as well anyway. Linda doesn’t know how to tell it like it really is in her Christmas letters. She somehow blankets the absurdity with sweet talk, making it look like our posterity can do no wrong. Maybe she needs a couple of surgeries herself.

I’m happy to report that I’m recovering from both operations, and, bit by bit, all of my faculties are being restored … including the truth bone. So I’m going to try and tell it like it is (assuming I can get it past the editor).

I must begin by telling you that I’m extremely handicapped, since few of our children come by anymore, and when they call, it’s to talk with their mother (I can’t figure that one out – I thought they loved my Christmas letters). They may think they’re safe, but they should realize by now that what I can’t back up with fact, I authenticate with supposition.

Brandon. My son takes honors this year for fleeing the farthest from home, hopping a plane at the end of September (2006), and flying to England. He was accepted into a program sponsored by Cambridge University and Beijing University. He’s working on a master’s degree in Chinese economics, and has now completed 2/3 of a three-part program where he spends two parts in England and one in Beijing. In my mind, this program must be an utter failure, because for a college as prestigious as Cambridge, they were only able to attract eight students to join up. But in all truth, I’m glad he’s there. It’s about time he learned something about supply and demand. All he’s ever shown me, since he was a tot, was his understanding of demand. Hopefully, he’ll learn soon, that there’s a balance between the two.

Brandon did manage to accomplish something worthwhile, however, by going over there. He made the Cambridge basketball team. Can you imagine that! The boy couldn’t even make the 8th grade team in Vancouver (or was it Naperville?). Now he’s playing on the collegiate level. Baffling!

He was also recently awarded the Freeman Scholarship, which is available to one student in the program. It pays for virtually everything … which he was obviously happy with (I was elated – he found a supply side after all).

Shannon. I’m pleased to announce that some short-lived sanity crept into Shannon and Adam two years ago. His business started to flourish, but not well enough for them to get out of their tiny little two-bedroom apartment in South Pasadena, which cost more to rent than many new homes cost to buy (in more “civilized” parts of the country – no offense). So last summer, they decided to move to Utah. (For us, it was great. Instead of a six-hour trip to Pasadena, it became but a four-hour trip to West Jordan.

They bought a beautiful home, with a big fenced back yard for their little two-year-old Reagan to play in. Unfortunately, Adam soon discovered that only Californians would pay him for his services. He therefore found himself flying to LA two weeks a month to take care of their needs. And every time he went down there, he picked up a couple more clients. Now, I don’t see that travel as any big deal. I did it every week. However, the big difference between Adam and me is that my family enjoyed my absence. His didn’t. So after a few months, they sold their Utah home and moved back to California … bucking the trend of all the others who are trying to get out of that state. Ironically, everyone in their family seems to be happy with the move. It’s certainly baffling to me. Sanity has a short life with some folks.

We were thrilled, however, that Shannon and Adam finally figured a way to break the X-chromosome factor in our family … providing us (well, didn’t really provide it to us) with a baby that has outdoor plumbing. He looks just like me, a fact that no one else seems to acknowledge. Blindness has a long life with some folks.

Kamie. Kamie and Allen must have gotten the same disease that Shannon and Adam have. They moved their family two years ago from Provo to Boulder City, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. Then this year they moved back to Utah and settled in Mona. However, unlike Adam, they forgot to sell their Nevada home (as of this writing, it has been completely gutted and remodeled. Now, if the market will only turn, he should get something out of it). It’s a good thing Allen has the Midas touch.

Now for those of you who don’t know where Mona is, don’t feel bad – there aren’t more than a dozen people who do. It’s actually a hidden metropolis of maybe a hundred people. Kamie and Allen obviously love crowds.

Some neat things have happened with their family these past two years, however. Katelynn, their oldest, turned eight, and was baptized in Boulder City. Believe it or not, although Las Vegas is world famous for its fun, sin, graft, and corruption, there is a sizeable righteous element there (Las Vegas was actually initially settled by Mormon pioneers, who must have envisioned that the city would someday extract much of the gold found in California). Fortunately, there are still a sizeable number of those pioneer descendants (and other decent immigrants) around … which is possibly the reason why the inhabitants of that area have not all been turned into pillars of salt by now.

Kamie has blessed us recently with several songs that she has composed. Her talent has caught the attention of a few notable people who will hopefully help her get some of her work published. Problem is she only seems to write things that can lift others up. She wrote a beautiful song titled “Here Am I”, to give support to a friend of mine who was struggling with his belief in God. Then she wrote another to give support to a friend who was going through the pains of a divorce.

Now the way I see it, the only way to qualify for a song of hers, is to undergo pain and suffering. So Kamie, I want you to know that I deserve a song. After all, I went through thirty years of raising you kids (well, Linda had a little bit to do with it – so write her one, too).

Allen has had a virtual vacation this year, outside the fact that he’s been busy with his hunting business (if you can call that work – now you know why they moved to Mona … there’s a mountain in his back yard). So he decided to take on a new focus … golf. I must admit I helped him in his pursuit. After the first dozen times, I felt like giving him the same advice a neighbor gave me: “Take two weeks off, then quit.” But Allen’s not a quitter. He’s now playing golf competitively … well at least with me. Fortunately, to this point, he is not quite ready for the tour. Although his drives go 300 yards, his putts seem to follow suit.

Of all members of their family, however, the most giving is Jake, who recently turned six. He left part of himself with us … his front tooth is deposited somewhere in the bottom of our swimming pool, when he mistook the wall of our hot tub for the water. I told him to keep smiling – he’ll get a new one in two or three years.

Kristie. Kristie and Ryan moved back to the Northwest two years ago, where Ryan went to work again for Boeing. After having graduated, he now has been hired as a true engineer … and will likely keep his job for a while (although “a while” in Boeing terminology can last anywhere from six months to sixty years). They sold their home in Ogden, then discovered that buying one in the Seattle area was a whole different experience. However, thanks to some pay raises and belt tightening, they were able to purchase a place in Federal Way. It’s quite a bit smaller than the one they were renting, but it’s theirs, and Kristie is thrilled. She and Ryan are both Handypersons (how’s that for political correctness), and have been busy tearing out walls and installing windows.

Their two daughters, Eva Jane and Molly, are growing like weeds – and probably in the wrong direction, since they don’t have their Boppy (Grandpa) around to show them the proper path (others have claimed that the move took them out of harms way – see what I have to put up with around here).

Amber. The Hambone has left her ninny job (oops, I mean nanny) in Short Hills, New Jersey, getting rid of much of her junk (though she managed to preserve her CD and DVD library), and came back to Utah to start college. It was a tough thing for her to do – not so much because she was so drawn to the family she worked for (though she did enjoy being with them). But the fact is she now doesn’t have a car – or a beautiful mansion to live in. Amber had the responsibility of taking care of two young boys who were the children of two Manhattan lawyers. She had to drive them around in her car … a four-year-old Lexus SUV. I told her not to worry; if she gets to feeling bad, we’ll write Lexus on the crossbar of her bicycle.

She’s now living in Provo, about fifteen miles north of Laura, and forty miles north of Kamie, and rooming with a high school friend from Vancouver. The last I talked with her, she was still liking her classes. In high school that feeling lasted for about two weeks. She seems to be improving now (college is obviously so much easier than high school).

This time I think she’ll do much better. She’s spending some hard-earned money on her education -- which tends to make one more serious.

Laura. Laura and Mike must have eaten a lot of apples shortly after their marriage a couple of years ago, because they provided us with our sixth grandchild … another girl (of course), named Amy Elisabeth. This little kid’s a knock-out beauty, which makes me question where that DNA came from. Laura and Linda, both of whom were in on the birth, assured me that the baby was properly tagged, so I’m just going to have to live with the realization that there is, indeed, “beauty where there are also beasts (no reflection on Mike – it’s his father-in-law that bears the resemblance).”

Being the youngest and poorest of our kids at this point, they’re going through that period of time that Linda and I look back on with great fondness (though we have no desire to go through it again). They’re trying to get through school, but have discovered that sometimes you need to take a little time off. We frequently pepper them with those age-old maxims (lies), such as “two can live as cheaply as one.” And so far, they are so madly in love with each other that they believe it. Meanwhile, not far away, the wolf is brushing his teeth. But I don’t think they care.

Linda and Doug. For Linda and me, life goes on just as it did the year before, and the year before that. Linda has adapted well to her hip replacement of two years ago, although she’s been experiencing some pain in the one that’s left (I guess I should say "right"). I, on the other hand, who had never experienced a surgeon’s knife in my life, had the honor of having that thrill removed, when I got a nose-job (I broke it in a football game in the ninth grade and finally decided I would see what it would be like to be able to breathe out of both nostrils. No big deal ... with a nose my size, you only need one nostril), and also had my thyroid removed (it was growing on my neck, although it was benign ... I should have left it there -- it made my nose look smaller).

With a ward of approximately 400 active members, which has needed to be split for at least two years (but for which we don’t yet have a completed chapel), one would think that we finally found the ideal place to go to church. After all there are many more capable people in this ward than there are callings to go around. Linda plays the piano in Relief Society and takes care of the bulletin each week. You would think those would be to easy jobs – but my wife, in her true form, manages to spend several hours each time making a masterpiece of paper that gets tossed after one hour each Sunday.

As for me, I was really enjoying my nondescriptness, getting lost in the shuffle. Shortly after moving in I was called to be a home teaching supervisor, which required about 8 telephone calls each month. Then Linda and I were asked to speak at church, and I gave a talk that impressed one man (I think the rest of the congregation slept through it). He became the high priest group leader and got me called to be his assistant. Then he got released to be a sealer in the temple, and I was called to take his place. There are approximately 120 high priests in our ward currently … 119 more qualified than me (filled with 60 former bishops, stake presidents, mission presidents, and one general authority). Well, someone finally recognized my lack of leadership and released me a year later. I thought here’s my chance to go back to burying my card in the shuffle. But that didn’t work. They called me to the high council. So here I am with that august body. It’s a bit intimidating being with these men, but I figure it won’t be long before my frailties are discovered there also, and I can then go back to being nondescript again.

I now come to this part of the letter that is so difficult to write, because it goes against all the unique wisdom that I possess. But the editor in chief requires that I throw a little truth in (as she sees it). So I guess I’d better begin.

First of all, let me say that my heart is very grateful to the Lord, whose birth we celebrate at this time … and to my wife, who has so diligently followed His example. Thanks to her determination, all of our children are strong in the faith, and making admirable strides of their own.

I’m so very proud of Brandon. He has had many challenges, both chosen and not, that would have made me crumble. But because of those choices, he’s now studying for an outstanding degree from one of the world’s greatest universities. He’s due to graduate in September or October of ’08. I’ve come to realize that when Brandon decides on a course of action, I had just better step aside and watch. He has developed a great skill for memorizing Chinese characters and speaking the language. Now he’s interviewing with some of the most prestigious corporations in the world. I believe he’s on a path that only the Lord knows the end of. I don’t question Brandon’s decisions anymore.

I’ve been very impressed with the way Adam supports his family, both financially and spiritually. He’s built an impressive business with the service he provides, having done so without any marketing or advertising … it’s all been word-of-mouth. The service he gives seems to provide two or three referrals each time he develops a client. Shannon has continued to blossom as a wife and mother. She, too, had a lucrative career opportunity when they first moved there. But shortly after a promotion, she found herself pregnant, and made the instant decision to follow in her mother’s footsteps … a full-time nurturer. It is paying off. That little three-year-old Reagan has a lexicon as big as mine (which doesn’t say much … but for her age, it’s impressive).

Kamie and Allen continue to amaze me at every turn. I stand in awe when I look at Allen’s ability to provide for his family. And even though he has interests that often take him from his home, when he is there, he devotes his time to his wife and kids. And they all love him for it. Kamie’s musical talent is unbelievable. Since the age of five, when I first started playing the piano, I’ve used my music in many settings, including being a teenage stake organist. But I can’t hold a candle to her talent. One day, I’m confident that someone will discover her, and provide the world with the music that she’s just blessing us with currently. The children are also growing up with great wisdom. I remember last year taking Katelynn to the store for groceries. I decided to buy her a donut. As we ate them at a little picnic table in the store, she folded half in a napkin. I asked her if she was full. “No, she replied, “I’m taking this home for Jake.” Never in my life did I take half my treat home for my little brother, Bill.

Kristie and Ryan, though moving to the Northwest, have kept in good contact with us through e-mails and phone calls. Oh how we miss those two little girls. I don’t know how Kristie was so fortunate to give birth to two children filled with so much sweetness. It didn’t come from my DNA. Other than the fact that Eva pulled off 230 leaves from our artificial house tree, those two kids are nearly perfect (Kristie may disagree with this, but she doesn’t have the insight of a grandfather). The family was hit with sadness last year when Ryan’s father, Ken, unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. It was particularly tough on Kristie, as she had grown very close to her in-laws. But she continues to reach out to Kathy, Ken’s wife, in her own unique loving way.

Amber’s decision to go to school is probably the right one to make. She decided, right out of high school, that she wanted to prove that she could take care of herself. Consequently, unlike the rest of the kids, she did not immediately go to college. Also, unlike the other kids, she did not receive assistance from her dad. Amber managed well to save her money from this last job over the past two years, and has earned enough now to pay for her education for the next year. She has gotten excellent grades so far. I’m so proud of the way she has lived her life. It’s not easy to be single, but both Amber and Brandon have focused on the things they have control over, and have excelled in those pursuits.

Finally, Mike and Laura, over the past two years now, and finding themselves struggling to make ends meet while getting an education, are building the right foundation for their future. There little Amy is as sweet a child as anyone could hope for. Laura was on bed rest for two or three months during her pregnancy, and Linda spent much of that time in Provo. In October of ‘06, Amy came a month early at 5½ pounds. And, though she’s needed a little extra care initially, she’s healthy and strong now. Now, if I could only get her to enjoy being around her grandpa. Mike and Laura don’t seem to ever contend with each other. I’ve only seen them happy together. They’ve grounded their relationship on a spiritual focus, going to the temple two or three times each month to remind them of the promises they’ve made.

I’ve now saved the best for last. As many of you know, it took me just six days after meeting Linda to ask her to share eternity with me. I don’t recommend that time period (six days, not eternity) for anyone else, but it worked for us. It wasn’t a foolish decision on my part (though one could argue that her acceptance was questionable on hers). I could tell, just after a few days, how committed she was to the values and principles that I desired in a family. Linda has no façade. What you see is what you get … and I knew that it was everything I wanted.

She probably wouldn’t appreciate my saying this, but I’m going to do it anyway. The day we married, she dropped out of school to help finance my education. To that point she had straight A’s, but one of her classes couldn’t be dropped without recording an incomplete. That incomplete, over time, turned into an F. For over thirty years she’s wanted to retake the class and erase that mark. I’ve resisted her doing so … not because she isn’t deserving of another A. But that F to me means “Family,” not failure. And, I’m sure, it’s recorded that way in heaven.

Linda’s example has extended to the next generation, as each of our daughters have chosen the path of full-time wife and mother. We’re grateful that they have married men who also believe and support that decision. We have had our trials, just as everyone has, but none of them have been spiritual. Although I was taught strong values myself, I still credit her for much of the spiritual strength I’ve received.

Ultimately, however, the gratitude I have is credited to Him, whom we honor at this time of the year. I’m so thankful to have been raised in the discipleship of Jesus Christ. With each year of my life, I have come to know and understand Him more. His work and glory is the reason for our existence. There is so much for us, as children of God, to know and to learn. I’m so honored to be a part of His purpose.

We extend our love to you all. Thanks for being a part of our lives. We value your friendship, and wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Love,

The Jacobs